No. 25 Illinois Headed for Ranked Game at No. 8 Michigan

Game 18: #25/RV Illinois (14-3, 4-2) at #8/7 Michigan (14-2, 5-1)
Date | Time	Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026 | 6 p.m. CT
Location	Ann Arbor, Mich. | Crisler Center
Stream	Peacock | NBC Sports Network | Watch
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Listen | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 387
Live Stats	StatBroadcast
Rosters	Illinois | Michigan
Game Notes	Illinois | Michigan
Stats	Illinois | Michigan
Record Books	Illinois | Big Ten | NCAA
Availability/Interviews	Media Availability (1/14/26) | YouTube Playlist
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniWBB  | @IlliniWBB  | Facebook  | YouTube

Head Coach Shauna Green

Career Record: 233-113 (.673), 12th season
Division I Record: 204-88 (.699), 10th season
At Illinois: 77-38 (.670), Fourth season
Big Ten Record: 34-26 (.567), Fourth season

THE NEXT WIN WOULD...

• Move the Illini to 41-39 all-time vs. Michigan
• Improve Green to 2-3 overall vs. Michigan
• Mark Illinois' 2nd win in Ann Arbor under Green
• Move Illinois to 19-20 when playing at Michigan
• Move Illinois to 23-18 in road games under Green
• Mark UI's first 5-2 B1G start since 2022-23
• Move Green's career record to 234-113 in 12 seasons
• Improve Green to 35-26 in Big Ten games
• Move Green's DI record to 205-88 in 10 seasons
• Move Green's Illinois record to 78-38
• Give Illinois WBB an all-time record of 724-778
• Move UI to 2-2 vs. ranked teams this season

OPENING TIP

The 52nd campaign of Illinois women's basketball continues on Thursday, Jan. 15, when Illinois visits #8/7 Michigan for a 6 p.m. CT game on Peacock and NBCSN from the Crisler Center. Mike Koon (PxP) and Kendall Bostic (analyst) will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM/93.9 FM). Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com/WBB.

• Illinois has a ranked win all 4 seasons under Green
• Illinois has been ranked during all four seasons under Green
• The Illini's 11-game win streak was the longest single-season streak and tied the longest win streak that spanned the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons
• The Illini are the third-youngest team across the Power 4 + Big East conferences behind Kansas State and Creighton.
• 10 noncon wins tied program record
• Illinois went a perfect 6-0 in December
• Best 14-game start in program history at 13-1
• Matched best 15-game start at 13-2
• Illinois' 3-0 start in Big Ten play was the program's best start since a 4-0 start during the 1999-2000 season
• The Illini faced a 3-game 7-day span vs. ranked opponents (#7/6 Maryland, at #24/19 Michigan State, #19/19 Ohio State)
• 3 of Illinois' next 4 opponents are ranked

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

Michigan is off to a 14-2 start on the season including a 5-1 reading in Big Ten play. The Wolverines and Illini both earned wins over Penn State and Purdue. UM is 9-0 in home games this season. Head coach Kim Barnes Arico is in her 14th season in Ann Arbor.

ALL-TIME SERIES INFO

Illinois leads the all-time series against Michigan, 41-39, with Thursday's game marking the 81st all-time meeting. The Wolverines lead 20-18 when the series has been played in Ann Arbor. Illinois won the most recent meeting at Michigan 77-64 on Jan. 31, 2024. Shauna Green is 1-3 all-time vs. UM.

17-GAME START

Illinois' 14-3 start through 17 games matches the best start in program history. This mark has been achieved five times now including twice by Shauna Green.

BEST 18-GAME STARTS

The best 18-game start in program history is a 15-3 reading, achieved three times and most recently by Green's 2022-23 squad. The 2025-26 Illinois team has the chance to match that mark on Thursday with a win.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

Since the arrival of Shauna Green, Illinois has taken care of the basketball at an elite clip, turning in three straight seasons ranked with the second fewest turnovers in the Big Ten. The staff's goal is 13 turnovers or less per game and the Orange and Blue have averaged below that all three seasons completed seasons. 

EFFICIENCY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE

Green's Illini have been incredibly efficient from the free throw line. Illinois has led the Big Ten in free throw shooting the last two completed seasons and is doing so once again in 2025-26. The Illini's numbers from 2023-24 and 2024-25 are the two best completed single-season free throw percentages in program history. Following the holiday break, Illinois leads Division I with an 83.3% mark from the stripe.

MADDIE WEBBER OFF THE BENCH

After starting 47 games across her two seasons at Villanova, Maddie Webber has embraced a new role at Illinois and is owning it. Webber has become an instant spark for the Fighting Illini off the bench at is putting up a strong argument to be considered the sixth player of the year. Webber is one of just sixth players across NCAA DI averaging 12.0+ points per game that has not started a game this season.

Webber has scored in double figures 11 games in 2025-26 including a pair of 20-point outings. The junior is averaging 12.2 ppg across 23.8 mpg and is shooting marks of 51.6% FG, 47.8 3FG, and  72.0% FT. Webber exploded for 17 points in the fourth quarter at Michigan State on Jan. 4, the most points in a frame under Green.

BERRY WALLACE'S SOPHOMORE SURGE

Through 17 games of the 2025-26 campaign, Fighting Illini sophomore Berry Wallace is averaging 18.7 points per game up from 9.0 ppg last season, despite being at the top of every opponents' scout.

Along with her 18.7 points, Wallace is averaging 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.4 blocks across 33.6 minutes per game. The Pickerington, Ohio, native opened the season with four consecutive 20-point outings, including the first double-double of her career in the Orange and Blue's season opener. Wallace is shooting a scorching 53.0% FG, 39.1% 3FG, and 87.5 FT% through 17 games.

Wallace's four straight 20-point games to open the season made her the only player in a P5 conference to do so. Additionally, she was the only player in the country with 4+ 20-point games against all D1 teams to start the season.

REGULAR SEASON BIG TEN WINS 

In her fourth season at Illinois, head coach Shauna Green has led the Fighting Illini to a 34-26 regular season record against the Big Ten. Those 34 victories are already third all-time among Illinois head coaches. 

PROGRAM WINS OVER TOP-10 OPPONENTS

Illinois' New Year's Day win over No. 7/6 Maryland marked the 10th top-10 win in program history, and the first of the Shauna Green regime. The Illini's victory was the first over a top-10 team since the 2014-15 season and was the program's highest ranked win ever over a Big Ten team.

RANKED WINS UNDER COACH GREEN

Illinois' most recent ranked win came over No. 7/6 Maryland, the first top-10 win for Illinois since 2012-13. The victory also marked the highest-ranked Big Ten win in program history. 

In 2024-25, when Illinois went on the road and upset No. 14 Maryland in College Park, Green's unit became the first team since 1999-2000 to win three games vs. AP Top-25 ranked teams. Green led the team to a fourth ranked win in the NCAA Tournament First Round as Illinois took down No. 23 Creighton, which secured a ranked win at home, away, and in a neutral setting. Four ranked wins in a single season tied the program record (1999-00).

The 2026 win marked the seventh such triumph under fourth-year head coach Shauna Green, who guided the Illini to ranked wins five times in Big Ten play. Green's seven wins over ranked teams are the second-most in Illinois program history behind Theresa Grentz' 26. Overall, Green is 7-17 against top-25 foes.

FRESHMAN STANDOUTS

Destiny Jackson is one of 15 players across D1 averaging at least 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in the NCAA and averages the fourth fewest turnovers per game (2.2). Jackson is averaging 28.5 minutes per game, the fourth-fewest minutes among the group.

Jackson is the only freshman across D1 averaging at least 8.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. 

SCORCHING THE NETS AT PENN STATE

In Illinois' 92-76 win at Penn State, Illinois saw four players score in double figures led by Berry Wallace's 28 and Maddie Webber's 26 points. The Illini shot 59.6% from the field (34-for-57), their most efficient shooting performance since recording an identical line on March 2, 2023. This marks their best field goal percentage in a regular-season game since Dec. 5, 2018, and their best percentage in a Big Ten game since at least 2002-03. Illinois shot 50% from 3-point range (11-for-22), with five different players making at least one triple. Hit 10+ 3-pointers for the third time this season. Shot at least 50% from beyond the arc for the third time this season.

RANKED ILLINI

For the fourth straight season under head coach Shauna Green, Fighting Illini women's basketball has been ranked in the Associated Press Top-25 Poll, coming in at No. 25 in the Jan. 12 listings.

Illinois has been ranked in 11 combined AP polls under Green. In 2022-23, the Illini appeared in four Top-25 polls, followed by the preseason rankings in 2023-24, five weeks across 2024-25 and most recently on Jan. 12 2026. The Illini have now appeared in 74 AP polls all-time across 12 different seasons.

Green joins Naismith Hall of Famer Theresa Grentz as the only two coaches in program history to lead their teams to AP Top-25 ranking appearances in four-straight seasons. The last time Illinois was ranked in four straight seasons was a five season-span from 1996-97 through 2000-01.